


Chiaroscuro: A Light in the Shadow

by whispered_weavings



Series: Chiaroscuro: The Series [6]
Category: Avatar (Sweden Band), Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Allusions to Violence, Gen, royal angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-21 19:51:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21061670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whispered_weavings/pseuds/whispered_weavings
Summary: A snippet of the story, seen through a kind worker's eyes.





	Chiaroscuro: A Light in the Shadow

**Author's Note:**

> Written by D and edited by Jen! I got inspired during the editing for chapter 3 and I just had to get this written down. I hope you all enjoy! <3 -D

Day One

The castle shakes. Risa and the other kitchen workers, led by Eliza, look up in confusion at the vibrations in the floor and the rattling of glass jars and metal pans. "What was--" Ryan, one of the dishwashers, started to ask, before another bout of tremors makes the tables shift, and what sounds like an explosion follows soon after. Screams from the terrified workers echo as panic starts to set in before Eliza roars for quiet.  
"CALM THE FUCK DOWN!" She waves a giant wooden spoon over her head like a scepter. "Those that are panicking, get the fuck into the walk-in cooler. You should be safe there if any of the walls or ceiling comes down! People who aren't: follow me!"  
Half the kitchen staff book it into the cooler, and the other half follow Eliza, including Risa. The head cook directs her people to go look for other staff and get them safely out of the castle, and to direct other people not panicking to do the same.  
The evacuation goes as smooth as can be expected, and just an hour later Risa is surveying the damage in the great hall. The roof over the room is mostly gone, the doors have fallen off their hinges, and there are great gouges in the stone floor from the king's dragon form. But...she allows a wide smile to overtake her lips. The King has returned! He's himself again!

Day Two

The King has left. Already. Risa is surprised...but she figures he has his reasons. Everyone knows that Kungen was always closest with his inner circle--that's why they are his inner circle, after all. She figures he needs to repair those relationships first, and to dive right back into everything so soon after getting his own body back might not be good for him.  
He'd been possessed...Risa frowns as she gets ready for her day. It explains so much, and yet the thought of not being in control of your own body for so long sends a shiver down her spine. No wonder he needs a break.  
Risa makes it to the kitchens right on time. Her shift is in the afternoon, along with six or seven others, depending on the day. There's been an order for more workers though--one of many new orders from the now-returned king. They are providing food not only for the workers repairing the castle, but they are also making meals to take to the refugees who have started to trickle back in on the king's order. Not many can be housed right now, but Kungen wants to get the ball rolling, so to speak.  
She beams as she starts chopping up vegetables, and the tears in her eyes have nothing to do with the onions.

Day Three

The king sends regular orders back. It seems like someone hears from him every hour. Which is good, it really is...but people are starting to wonder when he'll come back. It's been years, decades since their king has been there, and has been himself.  
Risa sighs softly as she walks the halls. It's her day off, and rather than just watch the repairs get done, she heads for the gardens. This spot is one of the favored of the king, and even the angel had enjoyed it here, and made sure that it was kept beautiful. She walks amongst the blooms and wonders when their leader will return.

Day Thirty-One

An entire month since the king left, and he finally returns. There were reasons, of course, and good ones. Ghost is a big hit in the country, of course, and the news that there will be a real alliance with them raises a lot of morale. But still...there are some people who resent the fact that the king has been gone so long when the country needs him.  
Risa can see it both ways, but she's just happy that he's back. So happy, in fact, that after her shift she can't sleep. She sighs, pulling on some clothes and padding down to the kitchen for a cup of her favorite tea. Then, she walks to the gardens, sipping the hot drink carefully.  
She doesn’t expect to see her king there.  
She really doesn’t expect to see her king crying.  
She turns and runs, uncaring that she’s spilling her tea everywhere, because she is crying too.

Day Thirty-Two

Risa's eyes are red as she heads for her shift. The sight of the king, his face turned to the sky as tears ran thick down his cheeks, wouldn't leave her mind. She really hadn't slept well, and knows that tonight, she actually needs to finish her tea and go to sleep.  
That night, she tries the gardens again, steaming cup in hand. The nights are starting to turn a little chilly, and she knows that winter is on its way. But the tea warms her belly, and the chill is still pleasant rather than biting, and she can feel a yawn in her jaws. She'll sleep good tonight.  
She turns the corner, and there he is again, on the same bench. He isn't crying this time, she realizes as she steps behind a large plant to keep out of sight. Rather, his face looks almost gaunt, his eyes far away. He looks haunted. She isn't sure if this is better or worse than tears.

Day Thirty-Three through Thirty-Six

Every single night that Risa goes to the gardens, the king is there, looking to be in some form of torment. He paces, he cries, he stares into the distance without seeing anything. He's so lost in himself that he never notices her. And every day he looks more and more tired, though he never stops working. There are rumors that his inner circle try to get him to rest, but it seems there's no rest to be had for the king. Risa bites her lip as an idea comes to her, and she wonders if it would be crazy enough to work.

Day Thirty-Seven

They’re here. The woman who saved Avatar Country, along with Ghost and Johannes, are here, permanently. Risa’s just heading in for her shift when she sees them enter the castle. Papa oozes sex and seduction, and Johannes, though he makes her nervous, looks so happy to be back with his King and friends. And Jonas...his eyes are bright and there's a genuine smile on his face for the first time in days.  
And so she really didn't expect to see the king in the gardens again. He's not crying, or pacing, and his eyes are a little more present, but still. *If she's here and he's still unable to sleep...?* she thinks to herself, before making up her mind and marching back to the kitchen. She forgoes small tea cups and instead makes a full mug of it, before heading back to the gardens. Someone has to do something, and it might as well be her. Risa takes a deep breath, and approaches her king.


End file.
